Dr. working to treat embarrassing sexual dysfunction

It results in shame, anxiety and troubled relationships. Still, most people would never discuss premature ejaculation in public.

Premature ejaculation affects 20-38 percent of men, making it the most common male sexual dysfunction worldwide.

PE means a lack of control over ejaculation, often occurring immediately or within seconds after sexual intercourse begins.

Men with PE often report failed relationships.

Some avoid intimacy altogether, afraid of the embarrassment that seems inevitable.

Now a study at University Hospital's Case Medical Center may offer hope for a treatment.

Dr. David Prologo is conducting a study using CT Scans and a needle to freeze the dorsal penile nerve (DPN).

Both human and animal studies have demonstrated the role of the DPN in ejaculatory function.

Recent studies have also found that patients with primary premature ejaculation have a higher average number of dorsal penile nerve branches than normal, likely accounting for the excessive sensitivity underlying the condition.

Dr. Prologo discovered that by freezing the DPN it can effectively dull the brain's response to sensitivity thus giving the patient a longer time before ejaculation.

He's performed the procedure so far on four men. Three of them had 100 percent success.

The last found a slight improvement, but not as much as he'd hoped for.